Batgirl and Robin
by RubberDuckyYou'reTheOne
Summary: "Batgirl, what is your status?" "When I said I was tied up, I meant it literally." "Exactly how many men are you facing?" The team gets to meet Batgirl, and is thrown into the depths of Gotham in the process. Zatana gets jealous, and Batgirl is a BAMF.
1. Chapter 1

[CHAPTER ONE]  
The team was sitting around the kitchen area. M'gaan was attempting to make cookies while Wally was repeatedly sticking his finger in the batter. Artemis was sitting on the couch texting, next to Superboy who was, as per usual, watching static. Kaldur perched on a stool in the kitchen, trying valiantly to ignore the antics of Wally and M'gaan, while Zatana sat across from him with her head in her arms, apparently asleep.

Wally, finally conceding defeat to M'gaan, slumped onto the counter top and sighed. "I'm soooo bored."

Artemis replied without having to look up. "We know."

Wally sighed again. "I mean, we haven't had a mission in days, and Robin has been gone for almost a week."

Kaldur sighed and looked up. "Did you ever stop to consider that when you complain about not having a mission, you are asking for trouble? The fact that we are currently inactive should be a good thing. Instead, you sit here and wish for lives to be endangered."

Wally looked irritated. "Well, it's not- I mean, why can't- arrg!" He cut off after seeing that he couldn't argue.

Everyone else went back to what they were doing as Wally laid his head in his arms on the counter, his mutterings becoming louder and louder.

He had opened his mouth and was just about to begin again when the Zeta-Tubes sounded. "Recognized, Robin B01, Batman 02."

Wally raced into the mission room as Batman and Robin appeared in the Zeta-platform. "Hey, Bats, got a mission for us?"

Batman ignored him and strode straight to the computer. Wally turned to Robin and was about to speak when he noticed the tension between the dynamic duo.

He closed his mouth, then jabbed his thumb in the direction of the exit. "Heh heh… So, I'm just gonna…" He sped out of the room.

Robin turned to Batman. "Look, I'm sorry I—" He cut off when he saw what Batman was looking at. It was security footage of the team's training sessions.

Batman spoke without looking up. "You holding back in your training sessions won't help. Your lack of practice at your level is most likely why you failed to apprehend those two men."

Robin looked defensive. "Well, sparring for a total of 30 seconds with the members of my team is hardly going to help either. At least my way I work up a sweat."

Batman frowned. "That doesn't justify holding back. Your team needs to know what you're capable of. If they don't, how can they trust you? How can they work well with you, how can Kaldur accurately lead the team if he isn't aware of your capabilities?"

Robin sighed. "It's just—"

Batman cut him off. "I know you were afraid that it would set you apart, but it doesn't matter."

Robin stared at the ground, dejected.

Batman paused, then walked over to Robin, paling a hand on his shoulder. "If they're really you friends, it won't matter. So now the question is, do you trust them?"

Robin stayed focused on the ground for a moment, then looked up. "Yes. I do."

Batman almost-smiled. "Good. Then starting today, you won't hold back."

Robin nodded. Batman let go of his shoulder. "Oh, and if it's a lack of a challenge that you were worried about, I have the solution to that as well."

Robin was puzzled. "I wasn't really worried about that." He paused. "But what is the solution?"  
Batman turned back to the computer. "Something I've been considering for a while now. I believe Batgirl should join the team."

Robin slowly nodded. "You think she's ready?"

"She's been ready for a while now, but has had some… reservations. She believes that we take too much time away from Gotham, and refused to leave it 'Unprotected'."

Robin slowly grinned. "That sounds like Babs. It'll be nice to get to see more of her again. With her in Gotham and me splitting time between there and the cave, we haven't really had time to hang out."

Batman nodded. "She'll be arriving this afternoon."

Robin nodded again, then turned and walked out of the room. He thought that he was going to go lie down for an hour or so. Between school, Gotham, and the cave, he had been getting an average of eight hours of sleep a week, especially with the recent Arkham breakout.  
In his tired state, he failed to notice the gust of wind that followed Wally's departure from just around the corner where he had been listening in on the Bats' entire conversation.

Robin walked into the kitchen and greeted his friends. They all looked up and acknowledged him for a moment.

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

Artemis grinned at him. "Not much, to Baywatch's chagrin. He's spent the last few hours whining about the lack of missions."

Robin walked up to Wally. "Well, we're gonna be training this afternoon, so you won't have to worry about your boredom."

Wally nodded his head, but avoided Robin's eyes. The rest of the team was puzzled. Robin was Wally's best friend, so why did he seem so uncomfortable around him all of a sudden? Haden't he just been complaining about not seeing him all week?

Robin appeared perplexed as well, but was too tired to dwell on it. If he didn't get some sleep soon, he would keel over as soon as training started. "Well, it's nice seeing you all, but I have to go lie down. I haven't slept in, like, a week."

They all nodded. The team watched him walk out of the room, then turned to Wally. He seemed lost in thought as he stared after Robin, but looked at the others when he noticed them staring. "What?"

M'gaan looked puzzled. "Well, you were so excited to see Robin earlier, and now you can barely look at him. What happened?"

Wally looked uncomfortable. "Nothing. There's nothing wrong."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Bay-watch. You guys usually spend every minute together."

Wally looked away from her. Frowning slightly, she walked over to Wally and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, babe, what's wrong?"

Wally sighed and looked at her. "I overheard him and Batman talking in the mission room."

Zatana looked up, having woken at all the commotion following Robin's exit. "What's up, guys?"

Connor spoke up. "Wally was spying on Batman and Robin's private conversation and now he won't talk to Robin."

Wally looked offended. "Hey! I wouldn't really call it spying… They just looked really ticked off, and I wanted to know why."

Zatana had an amused look in her eyes. "So, in other words, you spied on them."

Wally sighed. "You guys really aren't gonna let me off the hook on this one, are you?"

Artemis grinned. "Not a chance. So, what did they say?"

Wally looked hurt. "Batman was kind of yelling at Robin. Apparently, he's been holding back when he's with us. Bats was mad because it's starting to hurt his performance in Gotham."

Even Kaldur looked up at this. "Why would he do this?"

Conor looked angry. "What the heck is he trying to do? Sabotage us?"

M'gaan, ever the peace-keeper, spoke up. "I'm sure that he had a good reason. I mean, we're his friends, it's not like—"

Connor interrupted her again. "Exactly. If we're his friends, why doesn't he trust us? Does he think we can't handle it or something?"

Wally looked peeved as well. "It won't be a problem any more. Batman ordered him to stop. Oh, and apparently Batgirl is showing up for training this afternoon."

Zatana and M'gaan looked excited at this, seemingly forgetting about Robin for the moment. "We're getting a new addition to our team? Cool!"

While they went on to discuss their potential new member, Wally still felt betrayed. Robin was supposed to be his best friend. Why couldn't he trust him?

Artemis noticed the hurt and confusion on her boyfriend's face. "Hey, are you okay?"

Wally shook his head. "I don't know. I mean…"

Artemis smiled gently. "I'm sure Robin trusts you; I mean, you guys aren't best friends for nothing, right?'

Wally nodded slowly, still unconvinced.

Artemis sighed. "Sometimes it isn't about trust, you know? I trusted all of you with my life after I joined this team, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell you about my family. I was so afraid that you would't accept me once you knew who I really was."

Wally frowned. "But who your family was didn't change who you were; we were your friends! It's not like that one thing could mess that up."

Artemis grinned widely. "You realize that you—"

Wally sighed in mock annoyance, then smiled as well. "Yeah, yeah, I know."  
Leaning down, he hugged her tightly. "Thank's, babe."  
She smiled and snuggled closer to him. "No problem."


	2. Chapter 2

[CHAPTER TWO]

Robin slowly blinked as the beeping in his ears intensified. Sitting up, he tapped a button on his arm to turn off the alarm. Usually he could just take a nap and manage to wake up when he needed to, but with the lack of sleep lately, he didn't want to take any chances.  
It was thirty minutes until Batgirl was scheduled to arrive. While he might have needed those extra minutes, he wanted to be fully awake during training today. Robin didn't need Batman accusing him of holding back again.  
Stretching, he got up, got dressed, and headed down to the living area. He found Wally, Artemis, and Zatana sitting on the couch talking. Kaldur was still sitting on a stool in the kitchen, engrossed in his book. Conor and M'gaan were no where to be seen. Probably off making out, Robin thought slyly.  
Zatana heard him walk in and turned to smile at him. Ever since New Years, they had been toying with the idea of going out. It had been three months, but they were both still content to sit and talk with each other. Alone. For a long, long time.  
Okay, maybe they weren't just talking, but for now, they were both comfortable with where they were.  
Robin grinned widely at her and thought idly towards Batgirl's induction to the team, hoping that his friendship with Barbara wouldn't complicate his budding relationship with Zatana.  
He waved to his other friends. "Hey, guys."  
Artemis looked up and smiled at him. "'Sup, Robin. Feeling more refreshed after your Bat-nap?"  
Robin groaned. "Not this again! Just because we used it as a prefix for one or two things does not mean that everything I do requires the same prefix."  
Artemis grinned wickedly. "Just a few? Batman, Batcave, Bat-mobile, Batarang, Batgirl… Ooh, speaking of Batgirl, what's she like? We heard that she might be popping in for training today?"  
Wally tried to discreetly elbow Artemis in the side. He really didn't want Robin, or, god-forbid, the Batman, to learn that he had been spying on them. He shuddered at what the dynamic duo might do to him if they found out.  
Artemis looked sharply at Wally. Seeing that he still looked uncomfortable, she threw him a glare. He looked kind of sheepish, then winced and held his hands up in a gesture of defeat when she elbowed him back. Turning to Robin, he tried to let go of his anger at being lied to. "Hey, Rob, what's up?"  
Robin very carefully ignored the silent conversation that had gone on between the couple. "Nothing much, KF. And how did you know about Batgirl?"

Wally winced again as Artemis started to look uncomfortable. "Well, ahh…"  
She sniffed, smelling something slightly unpleasant in the air. Grabbing at a conversation change, she asked, "Hey, what's that burning smell?"  
Suddenly a smoke alarm went off above them. The foursome groaned in unison, then burst out laughing at the sight of Aqualad jumping, then tumbling off his stool. The distant shout of M'gaan saying, "My cookies!" didn't help much. By the time M'gaan walked into the room, they were all rolling on the floor.

Slightly worried at the sight of her friends, M'gaan nonetheless flew straight to the oven and lifted the now burnt cookies out of the oven with her telekinesis.  
Frowning at the sight of her ruined treat, she set the pan town on the counter just as Connor walked into the room. He walked over to her and slipped his arms around her from behind.

M'gaan sighed. "That was the third batch this week. I don't know what I'm doing wrong here."

Robin picked himself off the floor, then had to stifle another round of giggles at the sight of Connor and M'gaan, knowing he had been right about what they had been doing before. "Maybe you've just been a bit, ahh…distracted," He said, nodding towards Connor. She blushed and was about to protest when Robin spoke up again.

"I mean, the two of you, alone, alll week during spring break…"

M'gaan started sputtering while Connor just stood there, seemingly unaffected except for the slight blush creeping up his cheeks.

Artemis smirked at him. "You're one to talk, Boy Wonder. You and Zatana have been spending quite a bit of time together."

Robin's grin froze on his face as Artemis and Zatana started laughing. Said Boy Wonder started protesting as well. He was about to point out the nature of her relationship with Wally when he noticed something. "Hey, where's Rocket?"

Wally started grinning. "Wow, man, it took you that long to notice she wasn't here? You must be more tired than I thought!"

Robin looked slightly embarrassed, but inside he was relieved. Whatever had been bothering Wally earlier had obviously been forgotten. "Yeah, between missions with you guys, school, and patrolling with Batman, sleep hasn't really been an option."

Kaldur sat up from his slightly stunned position on the floor in concern. "Are you sure you will be ready for today's training session? We would not want you to over-extend yourself."

Robin grinned. "Nah, I'm good. I got a quick nap in earlier."

"Cough-cough Bat-nap Cough-cough" Artemis smiled sweetly at Robin as he turned and mock-growled at her.

Wally got in between the two, then turned to Robin to answer his question. "Icon needed her help on a mission. Something about an inter-galactic traffic ticket."

Robin nodded. "So, she won't be here for the rest of the week?"

Artemis calmed down. "Probably more like the rest of the month. From what Rocket was saying when she was here, it was a bit more complicated than just paying a fine."

Robin shrugged. "Oh, well. Hope the mission is a success."

Just then, they heard Batman over the intercom. "Team, report to the training room."  
They all paused what they were doing and leapt up. Robin was first out the door, hoping to see Batgirl. The rest of them followed out, but Artemis turned around when she saw that Wally wasn't right behind her.

Looking to the kitchen, she found her boyfriend stuffing his face with M'gaan's burt cookies. "WALLY!"  
He looked up, cookie crumbs all over his face. "Whaa? Mmh mtblsim—"

Artemis waved him off. "Your metabolism won't justify you being late to Batman. Come on."  
She started out the door, then turned back, marched over to Wally and dragged him out the door. He struggled in protest, then shrugged. Wally was more than content to let her drag him anywhere.

Robin snickered as Artemis and Wally entered the room. She was dragging him across the floor of the training room, his butt scraping against the ground and, for some reason, making a high-pitched squealing sound. Everyone stared at the pair with wide eyes, trying desperately not to break out in giggles.

Artemis dropped him in a heap on the side of the team closest to the door they came through, then walked to the other side of the assembled team. Folding her arms across her chest, she glared at the shaking shoulders of her teammates. "What are you looking at?"

Robin cleared his throat. "Ahh, nothing, Art- Artemis." Unable to hold it back any longer, the team dissolved into snickers.

At least, until they looked at Batman. He didn't have to say anything. Make any gesture. But his displeasure at the situation at hand was still clear. Everyone suddenly found themselves frozen and unable to laugh.

After a moment, Batman turned to the Zeta-tubes. "We are awaiting the arrival of one more person. Once she is here, you will go through your normal routine. Black Canary is on a mission currently, and will be unable to see over your training this afternoon, so I will be your instructor."

Wally, who had scrambled to his feet when Batman began talking, looked a little uncomfortable at the idea of training with the Bat. "Umm, are we actually going to survive this afternoon?"  
Robin didn't move at all, but they could sense his confusion over the mind link. "What do you think training with Batman entails? Dancing on a greased platform over a pit of knives?"  
Kaldur frowned. "It is not that we think Batman will endanger our lives. It is just…"  
Artemis finished his thought. "Batman can be very… Intense. We just think that we may not be as accustomed to his style of teaching."  
The mental conversation collapsed into silence. The team and Batman waited for a few minuets until Robin spoke up. "You did tell her the right time, didn't you?"

Batman gave him a look that spoke volumes. But now slightly concerned himself, he radioed Batgirl. "Batgirl, report."

Robin, being a Bat himself, was on their frequency and heard both sides of the conversation. When Batgirl didn't immediately respond, Batman spoke up again. "Batgirl, report!"

Both Batman and Robin heard a sound that sounded suspiciously like someone being punched. While Robin flinched, causing the team to become concerned as well, Batman's eyes narrowed. "What is going on?"

Batgirl's voice came through. "Sorry, Batman. I'm a—" She grunted, then finished her sentence. "I'm a bit tied up at the moment. Give me ten minutes and I'll be at Mount Justice."  
Batman wasn't satisfied by this explanation. "Batgirl, what is you current status?"

Batgirl sighed. "I'm in the warehouse district. I was on my way to the Zeta-tubes when I noticed five armed men dragging a sixth man, unarmed, into a building. Heat scans indicated a veritable small army inside. I thought it warranted further investigation, so I—"

Batman interrupted her. "I didn't ask what happened; I asked what your status was."

Batgirl paused. Batman and Robin both heard a crash in the background, then Batgirl spoke again, a certain breathless quality to her voice. "When I said I was tied up, I meant it literally. But I escaped. My wrist was slightly… damaged by the escape, but with some luck and a bag of ice, it shouldn't require medical attention. I'm taking care of the men now; their numbers put me a a slight disadvantage, but they have absolutely no training except point and shoot." Batgirl paused, snoring. "Typical."

Their was a lull in the conversation at this point. The dynamic duo could here Batgirl fighting in the background, and became slightly more worried. Especially after hearing what she had to say next. "Okay, make that fifteen minutes."

Batman frowned. "Exactly how many men are you facing?"

Batgirl paused again. Then, "I lost count at thirty five."

Robin couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Thirty-five!? Batgirl, are you sure you don't need—"

The annoyance in her voice was audible. "I'm fine, boy wonder. Besides, these guys are doing my work for me. I'm sure the commissioner won't mind the thugs' lack of body parts when they see what they had in their basement. It looks like these guys are human traffickers. I fought my way up from the basement where we were being held, then shot out the lights when I found the guards. They're shooting blind between that and my smoke grenades."

Slightly mollified, the two decided to hold off on intervening. While Robin might not have mastered the Bat-glare, Batgirl sure had, and even Batman was uncomfortable when she turned it on him.

After ten minutes, Batgirl spoke again. "I'm finished; all of them are unconscious and the police have arrived. En route now, Batman. Batgirl out."


	3. Chapter 3

[CHAPTER THREE]

The team's collective worry had grown over the course of Batman's conversation with Batgirl. Although they could only hear what he was saying, even that half sounded as if Batgirl was in serious trouble. M'gaan was about to speak up and ask if they should go in to help her when the Zeta-Tubes activated.  
"Batgirl, B10."

As the lights faded, the team got their first glimpse of Batgirl. Her costume seemed similar to the Batman's, except for a golden bat-insignia on her chest, gold gloves, and the fact that the inside of her cape was purple.

The evidence of the battle she had just been in was obvious. There were tears scattered across her suit, showing a considerable amount of skin. The cape hung on a string three inches from its seam, and seemed to be missing about a third of it's original material. Her red hair was knotted and speckled with dried blood. But the most concerning was the way she clutched her wrist to her chest.

M'gaan gasped. The rest of them could only stare as she walked towards Batman. Even thought she seemed like she had been put through a shredder, then beaten to a pulp, there was a spring in her step and a sly grin on her face. Batgirl's confidence was evident as she walked over to Robin, who just shook his head and smiled. "What took you?"

Batgirl narrowed her eyes in mock annoyance. "Oh, nothing. Just thought I'd make a pit-stop on the way here. But hey, at least I'm awake. You look dead on your feet."

Robin smiled sweetly. "Would you like a mirror?"

Batgirl swatted at his chest with her good hand. Noticing the people standing behind him, she waved. "Hello, Junior-Justice League. How's it going?"

When they just continued to stare at her, she shrugged and looked to Batman, who had been observing their greetings in his usual stoic manner. "Batman, would you like the report now, or can I get cleaned up first? My wrist is staring to throb a little."

Batman took in her appearance for a moment, then nodded. "I can piece together what happened, between what you said and what the police discover at the scene. Do you need help?"

Batgirl paused for a moment, then looked back at Robin. "I could use some help with my back, and my wrist. Care to join me?"

Robin nodded. "Meet me in the med-bay?"

She nodded. "Sure thing. You have any—"

"Yeah, I've got some civvies for you. And a pair of shades. Can't have a Bat walking around with their identity unprotected."

Batgirl rolled her eyes as Robin went to his room to retrieve her clothes. Looking back at the rest of the teenagers in the room, she smiled. "Anybody know where the med-bay is? I didn't have time to memorize the floor plans for this place before I got here."

M'gaan shook off her shock and smiled at the battered-yet-cheerful girl before her. "Sure!"

Wally looked her over. "Why exactly does Robin have some of your clothes?"  
Artemis smacked him on the back of the head, but he ducked at the last second. "What? It's a fair question!"

Batgirl laughed. "For emergencies. He's got some of my clothes, and I've got some of his clothes. When the stuff we have on gets shredded, it's nice to have places all around the city where you can change."

They all nodded, thinking that it made sense. Zatana was slightly relieved. For a moment she had thought there was something between her and Robin.

M'gaan walked over to Batgirl and then led her out of the room. The others looked over at Batman, pleading silently to be let off the hook for training.

Batman noticed their looks and weighed his options. Their attention would be scattered at best, but they needed the practice, and having to train like this might help them become more focused. Distractions make the best tools, when used correctly.

Batman nodded. "Alright, let's get to work."

They all sighed, then tried unsuccessfully to put all thoughts of Batgirl out of their heads.

_

M'gaan and Batgirl entered the med-bay in comfortable silence. M'gaan usually felt uncomfortable in these types of situations, but the presence of the girl beside her was unusually comfortable.

Batgirl studied the room before her. It appeared well stocked, if a bit hospital-  
like.

M'gaan was just about to ask if she needed help when Robin entered the room with a pile of clothes in one hand and a pair of dark sunglasses in the other.  
Seeing him enter the room, Batgirl took it as her cue to get out of the torn up costume. She started peeling off the pants, the usually slow task made all the more difficult by the fact that it now had giant slits in it. When she looked up, the pants successfully taken off, Batgirl saw that M'gaan looked slightly embarrassed. "What's wrong?"

Robin rolled his eyes as he readied the med-kit. "See, there's this thing called modesty; I'm not sure you two have been introduced."

Batgirl looked mildly surprised. "Oh, sorry. It's just, after a few years of walking in battered and bruised, needing medical attention, you start to pay less attention to that stuff."

M'gaan nodded. Batgirl took this as permission to proceed and slipped off her cowl, then her shirt. Grabbing her glasses off the bed next to her, she slipped them on, knowing that Batman and Robin would throw a fit if she went even one moment without her identity protected. Especially seeing as Artemis would recognize her civilian identity.

Robin picked up a cloth and the bottle of peroxide. Pouring out a generous amount, he dabbed it against the cuts on her back. Batgirl hissed and her back arched involuntarily.

Robin chuckled dryly. "You think that after this has happened so many times, you'd be more immune to this sort of thing."

Batgirl threw a glare over her shoulder. "I'm going to remind you of that statement next time I patch you up."

Robin's eyes widened slightly, then he chuckled nervously. "Heh heh…"

Batgirl looked smug, at least until Robin pressed the cloth against her arm and she hissed again. "Watch it, Wonder Bread!"

M'gaan observed their banter with some curiosity. It looked almost like they were a couple, but she knew that Robin and Zatana certainly weren't just friends anymore. Very gently, she brushed against their consciouses to see what they were feeling.  
There was love there, certainly, but not like they were a couple. It seemed almost like they were brother and sister. They exchanged banter that could be considered flirtatious, but underneath all that their really was no attraction.

Batgirl glanced sharply at M'gaan. She could have sworn that she had felt something brushing across her mind. It was not a pleasant feeling.

"If you want to know what I'm thinking, just ask."

M'gaan blushed furiously. "I-I wasn't reading your thoughts. I just— you and Robin acted like you were…"

Batgirl sighed. "It's okay. Lots of people make that mistake. But next time, please just ask. That's kind of rude."

M'gaan looked embarrassed and nodded her head. Robin looked mildly offended that M'gaan would try to sense what they were thinking. but turned back to Batgirl. "Let me see that wrist. It looks like it might be sprained."

Batgirl looked worried. "I hope not. If it is, it'll mean that I have to go off patrol for a few days."

Robin looked at her. "You know that it'll be a week at least if it's sprained. If you can't use your wrist, your maneuverability is compromised."

"But with the thing at Arkham, we can't afford to have one of us sit out. You know what will happen when—"

Robin sighed. "Look, let me see your wrist first; then we can argue about whether or not you can patrol."

She lifted her wrist obligingly. Gently taking it in his hands, he looked it over, pressing in a few places. "I don't think it's sprained, but you'll have some nasty bruises. How'd you do this?"

"While they might not have had good aim, they sure knew how to tie a person up. I couldn't reach my belt, or even twist my arms to rub the spikes against the ropes. I had to, ah, adjust some things to slip this hand out."  
"Trying to break your wrist is a stupid thing to do. You could have been out of commission for months!"

She huffed. "Well, I didn't, and my wrist will be fine. All I need is some ice and a day to sit back and I'll be fine." She pulled out of his grasp and started getting dressed. Just as she started pulling her shirt over her head, the rest of the team walked into the room.

They all stared at her as she puled her head through the shirt, then gently threaded her arms through the hoodie Robin offered her. Glancing over at the others, she frowned. "Not this again. C'mon guys, it's not like I'm naked or something." Stepping foreword off the bed, she pulled her pants on and then sat down again, reaching for her shoes. "Are we still training today or what?"

Wally cleared his throat. "Ahh, yeah, Batman said that since we wouldn't pay attention that he was going to make us wait and train with you. Funny thing is, he said it like it was a punishment."

Batgirl grinned. Just what she needed, a little way to wind down after being shot at for an hour. "Sounds like a plan. Just let me ice my wrist for a minute and I'll be good. Can someone point me in the direction of the kitchen?"

Robin offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She laughed. "Indeed, my good sir. But mayhap you should be careful. Some may mistake your act of good manners for affection." Turning, they walked out of the room.

The others were still blinking after the two. "What…was that?" Wally asked of no one in particular."

M'gaan looked over and smiled. "As near as I could tell, Wally, that…was Batgirl."

While the others shrugged and left in the direction of the kitchen, Zatana stood there with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. What exactly was going on between those two? I mean, what if—  
No, she told herself. I will not do this. I will not be that girl. Robin has mentioned her before, and said they were just friends. Really good friends. Maybe even…

Groaning to her self, she walked out of the med-bay following the others. I will not do this, I will not do this, I will not do this…  
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the picture of Robin's face when Batgirl laughed out of her head.


	4. Chapter 4

[CHAPTER FOUR]

Robin and Batgirl were sitting on the counter shoulder to shoulder, her head resting on his shoulder, when the other's walked in. Batgirl held a bag of ice to her wrist, while Robin was looking at something on his computer. While they had been goofing off and bantering earlier, the two now seemed content to just sit and enjoy the silence while it lasted.

Batgirl looked up when the other's entered the room. Looked them over, she smiled, then laid her head back down, observing what Robin was doing on the computer with more than a little interest.

Kaldur cleared his throat to gain the attention of those in the room. "Will you be able to train with us today, Batgirl? If not, we should make other plans."

She brightened at the mention of sparring with this group of people. "Absolutely—"

Robin interrupted her as he closed down the computer screen. "Not. You need to let your wrist heal, at least for today. Look at it this way," he continued when it looked like she was going to interrupt. "You can either spar with them today, or be able to patrol for the rest of the week."

She harrumphed. While she really wanted to get a chance to see what her future teammates could do, Batman and Robin needed her help with the mess that was currently Gotham. Honestly, she thought to herself, if Arkham doesn't get better security soon, Gotham will become little more than a playground for these whack-jobs.

The others looked a little bummed at not getting to spar, so she tried to think of something else to do.

Robin eyed the expression slowly creeping across Batgirl's face with suspicion. The last time that face had made an appearance, he had ended up hanging from the flagpole at his school in much less clothing than he would ever admit.

Eyes sparkling with mischief, Batgirl spoke up. "I have an idea…"

Kaldur looked at her with interest. "What might that be, Batgirl?"

"Well, training is supposed to be a kind of team-building exercise, right?"

Thinking upon it for a moment, Kaldur came to the conclusion that it was and nodded, not knowing the consequences that would follow.  
Batgirl grinned evilly. "Let's play never-have-I-ever. Thats supposed to be a great team-building exercise."

Robin face-palmed. "No, no, no. Not ever again. Do you even remember what happened last time? I smelled like cheese for a month!"

The others looked at him funny, but quickly turned to face Batgirl at what she said next. "Oh, please, Boy Blunder. We won't use alcohol this time."

Robin growled. "You mean you won't spike the soda this time? And wasn't it technically a small dose of tranquilizer, not alcohol?"

Batgirl waved her non-injured hand. "Potato, Patato. It had the same effect. But none of that this time. Scouts honor," she said, raising her right hand.

Robin snorted. "Please. Like you were a boy scout."

Batgirl stuck her tongue out at him, then turned back to the others. "Well, what do you think, guys? You in?"

Everyone but Connor agreed readily. "What's never-have-I-ever?"

Wally grinned and explained. "So, the way my friends play it is that someone makes a statement starting with 'Never have I ever…" and then follows it with something they haven't done. Everyone else playing who has done this must take a drink. But since we technically can't consume alcohol, what should we do instead?"

Connor raised an eyebrow. "How exactly does that qualify as a team building exercise?"

Batgirl shrugged. "I guess you get to learn more about the people you are hanging with. And to answer your question, Kid Flash, do you guys have any junk food?"

Wally grinned and flashed around the kitchen, returning with an assortment of bad foods. Batgirl frowned, then looked over at the haul. She was about to just shrug an go with water when Robin stepped up. "No way am I playing this game with you an an opened drink. Nope. Never again."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a baby." When he didn't relent, she sighed. "Well, the only thing that meets your requirements is that huge case of energy drinks over there."

Robin looked at it, then shrugged. Batgirl lugged the case over to the couch and set it on the coffee table.

She ripped the box open, then handed a can to each of the other people as they walked past and took a seat. She took this time to try and learn more about the people in the room. She already had her suspicions, but it was good to have confirmation. Wally sat next to Artemis and slung his arm over her shoulder. The archer rolled her eyes, but snuggled closer to him anyway. Kaldur took a chair off to the side. Zatana looked uncomfortable for a moment, but smiled when Robin took a seat next to her. Both had a faint blush on their cheeks.

M'gaan and Connor sat leaning against the front of the couch, next to what appeared to be a giant albino wolf. Batgirl noted how they had paired up with interest, then took a seat on the ottoman herself.

"Alright, now that we're all sitting, who wants to go first?"

Wally raised his hand. "Um, I have a question. Is this a silly thing, or a serious thing?"

Connor grumbled. "I still don't see how this is a team-building exercise."

Batgirl looked thoughtful for a moment, then smiled. "Well, Wally, it just depends on how much you want to know, and what you want to know. And as for that Connor, maybe we could up the ante a little. When everyone takes a drink, the person who's turn it is can ask about the stories behind it. That way you may get some questions answered."

Connor and Wally both looked satisfied, but Robin's uneasy look caught Batgirl's eye. He turned, noticing her attention. They had a silent conversation of sorts. She saw that he was nervous about sharing his past, but she tried to convey that this could be an opportunity for him to open up to his friends in an easy atmosphere, instead of an awkward moment when it could damage his relationships with these people. Robin nodded, and slowly relaxed next to Zatana.

Artemis looked around, seeing that no one had answered Batgirl's earlier question. "If no one else wants to, I'll go first."

The others nodded and looked at her for a moment, but she didn't really notice because she was trying to think up something. "Hmm… Ooh, I know! Never have I ever… Met Batgirl."  
Everyone turned to Robin as he drank from the can. Artemis looked at him pointedly and he sighed. "Fine. Batman and I had been patrolling when we ran across some guys mugging a couple in an alley. But before we could make it to them, someone else swooped in and took the guys out. She had on a very rudimentary and feminine version of Batman's costume. Batman of course tracked her and tried to blackmail her into stopping once he found out her secret identity.

"But she had this notion that we needed help, and wouldn't back down. Eventually, Batman relented. But that was only after she had found out our secret identities and blackmailed us. Seeing as we all knew who the others were, Batman decided it wasn't worth the fight and helped with her training."

The other's followed the story with interest. This girl had not only managed to discover the identity of the dynamic duo, but change Batman's mind?

Batgirl looked faintly uncomfortable at hearing this story told. Artemis smiled over at her, thinking that this girl might be even more interesting than she had first thought.

Robin looked up. "Who's next?"

The game continued on for some time. They went from things like, 'Never have I ever flown an airplane,' to, 'Never have I ever broken my arm,' to, 'Never have I kissed someone'. Surprisingly, Batgirl was the only one who didn't drink for that one. Wally was slightly incredulous.

"Really? You've never kissed anyone?"

Batgirl looked thoughtful. "Does mouth to mouth count?"

Wally had a slightly contrary look on his face. "And what if it does?"

Batgirl smiled sweetly. "Then I've kissed over a dozen people, Bird Brain included. But I don't think it does."

After a while, the team just started saying ridiculous things to make the other's laugh.

Still cracking up from the last one, Wally had another idea. "O-okay, okay, I got one!" He said, still trying to catch his breath. He tried desperately to keep a straight face. "Never have I ever… Been kidnapped!"  
The other's chuckled slightly. It wasn't really that funny, but they were still winding down from the last one. Everything stopped, though, as Batgirl slowly raised her drink to her lips, followed by Robin. The mirth had been drained from both their expressions.

Wally really wanted to ask, but thought that it might be pushing it a little. Batgirl saw his curiosity, as well as that of the others, and turned to Robin.

Robin felt tense. His stomach was churning. He had really hoped something like this wouldn't come up. Looking at Batgirl, he remember what she had not-said earlier. It was up to him whether or not he wanted to share. And it was better for them to know now than for it to come up awkwardly later.

Wally tried to shake it off. "Look, it's none of our business. If you don't want to tell us, it's your call."

Robin smiled tersely. "You guys want to know?"  
Wally nodded his head, then winced as Artemis elbowed him for it. Hissing under his breath, he said, "What? He asked!"

Batgirl and Robin looked at each other. She saw that he was extremely uncomfortable with this, but that he did want to tell them. To ease the tension, she volunteered to go first. "Okay. I'll start." Taking a deep breath, she thought back. "Okay. Umm, one of the first times I was kidnapped—"

M'gaan looked concerned. "Wait, it's happened more than once?"

She nodded. "Like I said, one of the first times I was kidnapped, it was by a villain in Gotham by the name of Mr. Freeze.

"He said that I was a match for his wife Nora's blood type and that I would be able to help her regain life by being an organ donor. But, he actually meant that all of my organs would replace all of hers. He basically wanted to perform vivisection."

Seeing the slight confusion amongst the horror on his friends' faces, Robin explained. "Mr. Freeze's wife was frozen at an early age because she had a disease that could not be cured at the time. As time passed, doctors developed a treatment for it, so Mr. Freeze wanted to unfreeze his wife and use Batgirl in the procedure. Batgirl was basically one of like three people on earth that was compatible with his wife."

Batgirl nodded in affirmation. "And of course, he had to explain his entire plan to me, giving Batman and Robin time to come to my rescue."

The team looked slightly uncomfortable. That sounded horrible.

Superboy spoke up. "Why do they always do that? I mean, if the just went and did what they wanted to without monologging, they might actually get away with it."

Kaldur frowned. "Perhaps they do what they do because they desire attention."

The others looked thoughtful. Then they turned back to Robin.

Wally, attempting to thaw out the room, spoke in a sort of caviler voice, though inside he was screaming slightly. "So, how many times have you actually been kidnapped?"

Batgirl spoke up. "In both identities, or just our superhero ones?"

"Both."

"Hmm… I think, altogether, like seven times."

They turned to Robin. He hesitated for a moment. "I think, around twenty. I might be wrong, though, I kind've lost track after twelve."

Everyone except for Batgirl was shocked. Who was he in real life that led him to be kidnapped so many times? Or, a more horrifying prospect, had every one been as a hero?

Robin let out a breath. "Which one do you guys want to hear about?" Upon seeing the looks on their faces, he attempted a smile. "What, too morbid a question?"

Zatana spoke up. "How about you just tell us the same one that Batgirl did? The first time, I mean."

Robin and Batgirl tensed. Though Zatana had been trying to make it easier, she had inadvertently chosen probably the worst possible one.

Kaldur was concerned. He had never seen Robin show his unease so obviously before. "My friend, do not feel that you must share this with us. If you do not wish to tell us, we will not be offended."  
Robin slowly shook his head and let out a pained smile. "No, no, it's… it's fine. The first time. Okay."

Sensing that he was starting to panic a little, Batgirl reached out and put a hand on Robin's knee.

Zatana looked down at Batgirl's hand. Jesus, why couldn't she leave this alone? And why was she jealous now of all times? Her almost-boyfriend was about to tell some horrifying, scarring story and all she could think about was how angry that hand made her feel.

Robin took a deep breath. "Okay." Giving Batgirl a thankful look, he turned back to his friends. "So, I was eight and a half years old. I had only been with Batman for about four months, and he had just started letting me patrol with him for about a month."

They were scared. He was so young. Looking at him now, the were reminded of his age. How much older they were than him. And became sad when they realized that out of all of them, he had been through the most.

"I had been lucky. All of the big baddies had been locked up tight in Arkham by the time I was allowed out. It was just a bunch of low-level gangsters, and the usual muggings and carjacks. But then, Arkham had a breakout.

"The guards were extremely well trained, and they managed to contain all of the prisoners except one. The Joker."

Batgirl face turned darker at the mention of the clown-prince of crime. While no one was quite sure how, seeing as he wasn't anywhere near as tough as some of the people Batman fought with the Justice League, the Joker was known to be Batman's toughest opponent. Everyone always thought that they were just missing something about the clown, that he had some sort of power that allowed him to escape the Bat time and time again.

"Batman saw the news, and tried to keep me off patrol, but I wouldn't have it. I insisted on coming and told him that if he didn't take me with him, I'd sneak off on my own.

"We were out about three days after he had escaped, and heard over the police scanner that there was a possible Joker sighting. When we got there, there was a veritable army of armed men waiting for us. Batman and I fought them off, but were eventually separated. That's when the Joker grabbed me."

Robin paused at this, closing his eyes. Not that his team could see that, of course. After deliberating for a moment, he chickened out. He just couldn't tell them. "After being held for almost six hours, Batman finally found me. He freed me and we defeated the Joker, sending him back to Arkham. Batman was so worried about me he took me off patrol for almost two months." He said it in a comical tome so that his friends would think that it was overkill, and that Batman was just being over-protective.

They all seemed to buy the story, but Wally and Zatana could tell that he had skipped over something major. What was he still hiding?

Batgirl breathed out a sigh of relief. She was kind of glad that he hadn't told them about the rest of it. How the Joker had tortured him near to death. How it had taken him almost half of those two months to be able to breath without wincing. How he still had nightmares about it every time he closed his eyes. If they knew about all of that, they would treat him with kid gloves. And it would destroy him.

Robin worked tooth and nail to be able to fight like he did, so that no one would judge him for his age, or how small he was. He had figured out long ago that if they respect (and slightly fear) him, they wouldn't treat him like a little kid. Or a sidekick.

Wally glanced over at the clock and started. "Woah, it's like seven. Do you guys want to do dinner here?"

They looked around and shrugged. Batgirl held out her hand to Robin and he promptly placed a phone in her hand. "Hold on, let me just call and ask."

Seeing their looks, she shrugged. "My Dad is way overprotective. Which is ironic, because, you know."

They nodded and she walked out of the room. Dialing, she chanted silently in her mind for her dad to pick up.

"Hello?" The commissioner said as he answered his phone.

"Hey, Dad, it's me. Listen, Dick and I lost track of time and I'm still at his place. Could I maybe eat dinner and sleep over here? Alfred already okayed it, and I'll come home first thing tomorrow morning."

He sighed. "Alright, Barb, but be careful. And don't leave that house under any circumstances."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Bye, hon. See you tomorrow."

"Love you, dad. Bye."

Batgirl skipped back into the kitchen. "I can stay."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: First off, I actually did some research on the video game, and it is time appropriate. Second, the language they speak is Romanian, since there technically isn't a real documented form of Romani that I could find. Third, I don't own young justice. Fourth, Review?**

[CHAPTER FIVE]

Batgirl helped M'gaan cook dinner, but shooed everyone out of the kitchen when they took her up on her offer to make dessert.

After dinner, Robin and Wally hung out in the living room, playing video games, while M'gaan and Connor talked quietly in the corner. Artemis and Zatana went off somewhere to have "Girl Time," and Kaldur was training by himself.

Wally twisted to the side with his controller, asking, "Why did Batgirl kick us out of the kitchen?"

Robin twisted with him. "Because she's making one of Agent A's secret recipes. She's the only one who's ever gotten him to share his cooking genius."

Wally frowned. "So what is she cooking?"

Robin paused the game, then turned towards the kitchen and breathed in deeply. "If I had to guess, I'd say she's making his chocolate chip cookies."

Wally's eyes went as wide as saucers. "You mean those cookies?"

Robin smirked and nodded. "Yep."

Wally jumped up and cheered. M'gaan and Connor looked up, startled by his antics. "What's going on?"

Wally grinned like a maniac. "Batgirl is making the cookies. The best cookies ever created. Agent A's chocolate chip cookies."

Connor raised an eyebrow. "Who's Agent A?"

Robin grinned. "That's classified. All you need to know is, he's a Bat."

He stared at him for a moment, then shrugged and turned back to M'gaan, who was slightly upset. She had thought that her cookies were getting really good. She continued to worry over it for a while.

Batgirl slammed the door to the over and said, "Done! Now all we have to do is wait."  
Wally groaned. "Ah, man. I hate waiting."

Batgirl shrugged. "Unless you want to get sick from eating raw eggs, there's nothing else you can do."  
Wally sighed, then un-paused the game. Robin, however, had been staring at Batgirl when he did this, and immediately crashed. "Hey! Not cool, man. Not cool."

Wally grinned at him smugly. "I thought that Bats were supposed to always be aware of their surroundings. So obviously, you knew."

As Robin was sputtering, Batgirl came up behind them and gasped. "Oh my gosh, is that Need for Speed: Most Wanted!?"

Wally looked up at her in surprise. "You know what that is?"

Batgirl nodded. "Need for speed is one of my favorite video games. Although," she said turning to Robin, "That particular version isn't supposed to come out for another month. Isn't that right, Robin?"

Robin was very obviously looking at the ceiling, the floor, anywhere but at Batgirl. Wally started snickering. "Heh heh, busted!"

Batgirl crossed her arms and stared him down until he looked at her sheepishly. "Do I need to make you watch the pirating is wrong video again?"

Robin's eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. "Nope, no, I ah, I got it. Pirating is wrong. Although, technically, I didn't download it illegally, I hacked into their mainframe and…"

He trailed off as Batgirl continued to stare at him. She pinned him with her gaze for a moment longer, then held out her hand. "Hand over the controller, Boy Wonder. I want a turn." He slowly handed over the controller, then scooted over as she leapt over the back of the couch, settling in between him and Wally.

She then proceeded to spend the next forty minutes whipping both of them mercilessly at the game. Wally ended up just sitting there holding his head, muttering, "Not possible. It's just not possible."

Batgirl and Robin grinned at each other when they heard him. "I think you broke him." Robin snickered.

Batgirl was about to open her mouth to continue teasing the speedster, but turned towards the kitchen when a timer went off. "And there's my exit cue."

Racing towards the kitchen, Batgirl hurriedly pulled the cookies out of the oven and set them on the stove to cool. She then stuck a toothpick into the middle of the desserts to see if the cookies were done. M'gaan had drifted into the kitchen to see what Batgirl did with her cookies, and asked what the toothpick did.

Batgirl turned to her as she went through. "See, you stick a toothpick into the middle of whatever you're baking. If it comes out clean, that means that they're fully cooked. If it comes out covered in batter, you know they need a few more minuets in the oven."

M'gaan nodded. That actually made sense. She and Batgirl got into a conversation about how they baked what, and in which pan. Wally stood at the kitchen island, prancing in place. He really wanted a cookie.

When the girls were still talking ten minuets later, he decide enough was enough, and raced towards the pan with super speed.

Batgirl saw this coming, however, and quickly stepped into his path, then flipped him over the kitchen island. He landed right back where he started, not quite sure how he had gotten there.

M'gaan burst out in peals of laughter, and soon Batgirl joined in. After they calmed down, and Wally got back up, she turned to him. "Just for that, you get your cookies last."

Wally looked unreasonably heart broken. "But- But— cookies!" He burst out, incapable of forming a coherent sentence through his deep seated need for cookies. She smiled sweetly. "Next time, wait your turn."

Turning to M'gaan, she asked, "Can you tell the others that dessert is ready? I don't know how close they are."

M'gaan nodded, then reached out to Kaldur, Artemis, and Zatana. "Guys, Batgirl says that the cookies are ready"

She sensed an affirmative feeling from all three, so she withdrew into her own mind, waiting for them to come to the kitchen.

_

Zatana had signaled to Artemis just as soon as dinner was over. She needed to vent to someone. Badly.  
Artemis followed curiously. What could this be about? Does she want to talk about boys or something? This has a serious girl-talk vibe to it.

Zatana pulled the archer into her room, sitting down on the bed. Artemis sank down next to her, reaching a hand out. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Zatana burst out suddenly. "I mean, Robin said they were just friends, but they're so close, and they read each other so well, and with that thing in the med-bay, and when we walked in the kitchen… Argg!"

She flopped backwards, her hands covering her eyes. "I'm being totally ridiculous, aren't I?"

Artemis smiled slightly. It was kind of nice to have a friend that trusted you enough to vent. "No, you're not. They do seem really close."

Zatana peered up at her unhappily. "That's not helping."

Artemis looked down at her. "I mean, yeah, they're close, but I get the sense that they've known each other for years. More like siblings than anything else."

Zatana still looked unconvinced. "I know, I know. I just can't help it. I mean, Robin and I have been… You know…talking…for a while now, but haven't really talked about what we were, or where this was going. I guess I'm still a little insecure."

"Well, they're Bats. They could probably have entire conversations by body language alone. And they've worked together for years in Gotham. Without telepathy, they'd've had to learn pretty quickly to tell what the other was thinking."

Zatana frowned up at her friend. "What do you mean, in Gotham?"

Artemis hesitated. "Gotham is… different. Sure, other cities have gangs, and muggings, and the occasional super criminal, but Gotham is a whole other playing field. Even with Batman and Robin and Batgirl, we still have one of the highest crime rates in the country. Between Joker and Freeze running around, Penguin and Two-face controlling the gang scene, and the array of other crazies that are inexplicably drawn to the city from time to time… if the bats weren't as good as they are, doing what they do, they'd be long dead."

Zatana was slightly worried. She knew Gotham was bad, but it had never seemed like such a big deal before. Always kind of far away. Even now, after hearing this description from Artemis, there was this little voice inside her saying, 'It can't really be that bad.'

Shaking off those thoughts, she turned back to what had been troubling her in the first place. "You really think there's nothing going on?"

Artemis smiled at her comfortingly. "You have nothing to worry about. Trust me," she said.

They sat in companionable silence for a while. Then Zatana spoke up again.

"Sooo…"

Artemis turned to her friend quickly, hearing the mischievous air to her friend's voice. "What?"

"What's going on between you and Wally?"

Kaldur was working in the training room when Batman contacted him.

"Aqualad."

He paused in his routine to bring a hand to his ear. "This is Aqualad. Go ahead."

Batman paused for a long moment. "How is your team performing?"

Kaldur came to a full stop now. "They are performing very well. We are able to work together almost seamlessly, and Black Canary has greatly improved their hand-to-hand combat skills. Is there some area that you believe that we need to improve in?"

"No."

Kaldur waited for what Batman said next. He had never heard him like this. The great detective seemed almost… hesitant. "Is there something that you need us to do? A mission that we need to be sent on?"

Batman spoke up. "Yes. But it will be difficult. And the other leaguers and I will be unavailable for the duration of your mission. Possibly for some time afterwords. I need you to be sure."

Kaldur frowned. "Sure of what? Apologies, Batman, but I do not quite understand what it is we need to be ready for."

Batman was quiet for even longer this time. "Never mind." Then he disconnected the call.

Kaldur froze in shock. Never mind? What was wrong with the Dark Knight? What could possibly cause him to act in this way?

Whatever it was, he was quite sure that he never wanted to see it face-to-face.

As he was contemplating what that could have been about, he was contacted by M'gaan.  
"Guys, Batgirl says that the cookies are ready"

Aqualad tried to convey that he would be on his way. It was less like their minds were connected, and more like she had just sent them a message. When he sensed her withdrawal, he quickly cleaned up and headed towards that amazingly good smell emanating from the kitchen.

The team had never tasted anything so amazing in their life. It was like someone had taken sunlight and baked it.

Artemis looked over at Batgirl and spoke through the cookie she was stuffing her face with. "Batgirl, these are amazing! How did you make them?"

Batgirl waved away the complement. "It's not my recipe. It's Agent A's."

M'gaan looked over at her. "Well, can you tell us the recipe?"

Robin laughed. "Good luck with that. Agent A has to give her permission first, and it took almost two years for Batgirl to get it. I still have no idea how she did it."

Wally looked at her with pleading eyes. "Please? Can't you just tell us? He'll never know."

Batgirl snorted. "Please. Agent A knows everything."

Zatana spoke up. "He's not even here. How will he find out?"

Batgirl shrugged. "I don't know how he knows, but he always knows. We're talking about someone who can reduce Batman into a petulant eight year old boy. It's not really a good idea to mess with him."

They turned to each other in shock and amusement. Batman an eight year old boy? This was something they had to see.

After the cookies were all gone, the team settled in to watch a movie. They went through almost the entire collection before picking something.

"How about… Chucky?"

Artemis looked over at her boyfriend. "No."

M'gaan looked over. "Ooh, what about the Lion King?"

They all looked like they thought it was a good idea, but Batgirl shook her head vehemently. Wally looked at her in shock as the others moved on. "How can you not like the Lion King?"

Batgirl looked pointedly at Robin. Wally stared after him for a second before realizing what she was getting at. Turning back to the stack of DVDs in front of him, he despaired slightly. How the heck were they going to find a movie to watch out of all this?

They were about to give up when Zatana pulled something out triumphantly. "I've got it!"

The others looked at her. "Which one is it?"

She smiled. "Ocean's Eleven. It's one of the best movies ever."

Robin grinned over at her. "Definitely."

Connor looked over at her. "What's it about?"

Zatana glanced over as she put it in. "It's about this group of guys that get together to rob a casino."

Connor looked slightly disturbed. "Why would you watch a movie about the criminals?"

Batgirl looked over at him. "They try to humanize the main characters in an attempt to get you to connect and sympathize with them, like in all movies. But when they get you to root for the criminals, it's like adding a layer of excitement to it. You know what they're doing is wrong, but that makes the movie that much more enjoyable."

Connor looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. Even if he didn't really find it appealing, everyone else seemed excited.

By the end of it, though, he really saw the appeal. It felt like the good guys won.

Batgirl looked over at her friend and was shocked to see that he had fallen asleep. She reached over and picked him up, then turned to the others and asked quietly, "Where's his room?"

Wally signaled for her to follow him. It was just between his room and Zatana's.

Going through the door, Wally and Batgirl set him on the bed. Wally took the chance to look around. While everything in here looked like Robin, it didn't feel lived in. Thinking back, Wally realized that his friend had never slept over at the cave before. No matter how late their missions ran, or what time they finished hanging out, he always Zeta-ed back to Gotham.

Wally puzzled over this for a moment, then shrugged. It was probably just because Batman didn't want him sleeping around the others. Paranoid guy probably thought that they were going to sneak up on him in his sleep and take off his mask or something.

He had actually considered doing that before Robin had told him who he was. So, maybe not that paranoid.

He and Batgirl walked out of the room, then turned to each other. "We didn't think you'd be staying over, so there's not really a room for you…"

Batgirl waved it off. "Please, like I was going to sleep. I'll just stay up and help Bats with the stuff going on in Gotham from the big computer. That's probably what Robin would have done if he didn't need this so badly. He's been up for almost three days on, like, an hour of sleep."

Wally looked worried. He knew that Rob didn't get as much sleep as they did, but from his complaining, Wally thought Batman always made him go to bed eventually. If he wasn't enforcing that, then…

"Just how rough are things in Gotham right now?" He asked her, suddenly serious. Batgirl knew from what Robin had told her that while he may act goofy, Wally was very far from stupid.

"It's not good. There was a huge breakout at Arkham. Nearly every crazy in Gotham is out and about. We managed to catch Firefly and Killer Crock, but the rest of them are still out there. The reason we're working so hard, though, is because the rest of them are laying low. Not a peep from Two-Face, Penguin, Joker, Mr. Freeze…"

Wally frowned for a moment. "Didn't he go to Belle Reve?"

"After the failed breakout attempt, he petitioned to be sent back to Arkham. Those idiots actually agreed, and, well, here we are again."

Sighing, he said goodnight to Batgirl. Then he thought of something and called after her as she walked down the hallway. "Wait, doesn't that mean you're just as tired as he is? Shouldn't you get some sleep?"

Batgirl stopped and turned around, a tight smile on her face. "One of us needs to stay up and help out. Batman will never say it, but this is a bit much even for him. Robin would never have gone to sleep tonight if I wasn't here."

"Isn't that a bit unfair?"

Batgirl looked down for a moment, then glanced up with a real smile on her face this time. "Maybe, but I don't mind. As long as he gets some shut-eye, I'll be okay."

Wally stared down the hallway she went down long after she was out of sight.

_

Batgirl yawned as she typed at the big computer screen, tired beyond belief after staying up to work on the cases currently running in Gotham. It was unsettling how even the ever theatrical Joker had seemingly disappeared without a trace.

Leaning back, Batgirl studied the windows she had open, silently willing a connection between them and the Arkham escapees to appear out of thin air.  
Sighing, she pulled off her sunglasses and rubbed her eyes. All this screen time was not going to help her slowly deteriorating eyesight. She was going to need glasses soon if she wasn't careful.

Batgirl looked at the time. It was almost 2 am, and she was so tired. Wondering how exactly Batman functioned on so little sleep, Batgirl got up to get some coffee.

Going through the cool hallways of Mount Justice, she reveled in the silence that came with the dead of the night. While being around people was always interesting, especially people who were super heroes, it was also exhausting having to watch their every move and observe every little detail. Because of her training with Batman, it wasn't something she could ever really stop doing.

So, this was her favorite time to be up. It was just her and her thoughts.

Arriving at the kitchen, she saw that the pot was empty and started grumbling, even though it wasn't a reasonable expectation for people who weren't cops, or Batman, to have coffee brewed at 2 am.

Just as it started to brew, she heard a noise from down the hall, in the direction of the team's bedrooms. It was very faint, but it sounded almost like… crying.

An uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach, she started out slowly down the hall, then ran as the crying escalated into screams of terror.

Batgirl rushed to Robin's door, where the screams were coming from. This was exactly why he had never slept over here before; he didn't want his friends to find out about the nightmares.

She tried the door, but found to her dismay that it was locked. Opening the panel next to the door, she hurriedly tried to hack into the system and open the door.

As she kneeled down, Wally, Zatana, and Superboy showed up, rubbing their eyes to dispel the sleep. "What's going on?" Zatana asked.

"Is Robin in trouble?" Superboy asked.

Wally's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. This was so not good.

Batgirl spoke. "Everything is fine. Go back to your rooms."

Zatana scowled. "Everything is not fine. Robin is screaming at the top of his lungs! You can't expect us to just walk away and ignore that!"

Batgirl kept fiddling with the controls for the door. "Yes, I can. You need to pretend that this never happened tomorrow. This, right here, is why you never catch Robin asleep. He doesn't want anyone to ask questions."

"But we can help him!"

Batgirl growled and spun around, about to tell her off when words suddenly spilled out from behind the door. "Mami, Tati, nu! Nu se încadrează, vă rugăm să nu se încadrează!"

Batgirl paled and hurriedly finished opening the door. Before she walked in, she turned back and made eye contact with each of them. "You cannot mention this to him. Ever." Then she rushed into the room, letting it close and lock again behind her.

Zatana was about to storm in there to help, but Wally stepped in front of her and shook his head. "She's right. You can't go in there." Her face fell, and she turned back to her room, dejected. She almost didn't catch the last few words he said as he walked towards his own room. "You wouldn't be able to understand what he's saying anyway."

The magician walked back into her room and stood staring off into space, puzzling over what the speedster had said.

_

Batgirl rushed into the room and towards Robin's bed, pulling him up and shaking his shoulders. "Robin, Robin! Get up! Wake up!" When he persisted in his shaking and yelling, she sighed, then tried again.

"Dick! Dick, you have to wake up! Now!" But he still didn't wake, and persisted in yelling in Romanian.

Batgirl closed her eyes for a moment, then spoke up again. "Dick, vă rog. Ai nevoie să te trezești acum. Totul este în regulă, e doar un vis. Vino acum, păsărică. Treziți-vă." Dick, please. You need to wake up now. Everything is fine, it's just a dream. Come now, little bird. Wake up.

Robin groaned and whimpered, but slowly opened his eyes, leaking with tears as they were. "Ce se întâmplă? Unde sunt? Babs, tu ești?" What's going on? Where am I? Babs, is that you?

She nodded and smiled gently. "Da, eu sunt. Ești în regulă?" Yes, it's me. Are you all right?

Robin blinked and reached up to wipe the tears from his cheeks. "I-am văzut să cadă. Ea a cedat și au păstrat doar în scădere, și nu am putut să le prind …" I- I saw them fall. It snapped and they just kept falling, and I couldn't catch them…

Batgirl reached out and put her arms around him. "E în regulă acum, Dick. A fost doar un vis. Doar un vis …" It's alright now, Dick. It was just a dream. Just a dream…

Robin turned and pressed his face into her chest, taking comfort in being so close to her. "Un coșmar …" A nightmare…


	6. Chapter 6

[CHAPTER SIX]

Robin slowly awoke the next morning to find that there was someone sleeping next to him. Trying to turn so that he wouldn't wake whoever it was, he saw the rising and falling form of Batgirl. And then last night came crashing back to him.

Oh god, he thought. They're all going to want to know what happened. Who did I wake up? Alright, just stay whelmed, stay whelmed.

Batgirl's eyes shot open as he bumped into her. Sitting up, she stretched her arms towards the ceiling and groaned. "Ugg, I really needed to sleep. Although…" She had a flash of unease. "I'm not sure that I closed the windows to what I was working on before I came over here."  
Robin stared at her blankly for a moment, then shrugged. If she wasn't embarrassed by this, then neither was he. "Well, it's only like—"  
He peered over at the clock. "Six am. Wow, I slept in. I mean, if you got up now, you'd most likely beat the others and be able to shut it off before they see it."

Batgirl nodded, then climbed out of the bed. "I'll go see if there's coffee. You coming?"

Robin nodded. "Right behind you. Just need a minute."

She smiled, then turned and left his bedroom. Padding through the halls, she thought back to what had happened last night. Batgirl really hoped that they listened to her and didn't bring it up. It would worry him if he thought his friends knew.

"Oh, thank god." She murmured when she caught a glance of the full pot sitting on the counter. It was still warm, too. Pouring a cup for the both of them, she hopped onto the counter and sighed in contentment.

After waiting for a few minutes for Robin to show, she shrugged and went to go close down what she had been working on last night. But when she came up to the screen, everything had been shut down. Frowning, she pulled up the security cameras to see who had turned it off. But there was no sign of anyone coming in here after she had left last night.

Slightly apprehensive, she looked through all the files that were on their database, but there was no sign that anyone had downloaded anything off of this computer. Sighing, she closed it again and went back to the kitchen to wait for Robin.

He looked up as she entered the room. "Hey, Batgirl. So, any problems?"

She slowly shook her head and came to sit next to him at the table. "No."

He nodded, then sat silently next to her as they both sipped their coffee.

As she got up to rinse out her mug, Batgirl heard footsteps from down the hall and turned to see who it was. Aqualad appeared in the doorway, taking in the presence of the two Bats with little surprise.

Nodding to them, he went to the fridge and pulled out fruit from a drawer, then sat down at the table.

All three sat in silence, waiting for the day to awaken.

_

The team gathered in the mission room, waiting for Batman, Robin, and Batgirl to finish their conversation.

Batman had summoned them to the mission room almost twenty minutes ago, then immediately taken his two trainees off into the corner, giving Superboy strict orders to not listen in on the conversation.

Robin had begun waving his arms angrily less than five minutes in, while Batgirl just stood there, absorbing everything they both said. The team couldn't tell what exactly they were talking about, but whatever it was, Robin didn't like it.

Kaldur wondered if it had anything to do with his extremely odd talk with Batman the previous night.

"This is not a negotiation, Robin." Batman growled.

"I don't care if it's not a negotiation. They're not ready for Gotham! Especially with everyone that's currently loose on the streets!" Robin whispered harshly.

Batgirl spoke up for the first time. "We don't have any other options, do we." It wasn't a question.  
"No. I won't be able to patrol in Gotham for most of the next week. And the League will be down several members. They're spread thin enough as it is, and even if they did send someone, they wouldn't know how to work with you two."

Robin continued to glare at his mentor for a moment, then slumped foreword, seeing that he was right. Batman took this to mean that there would be no more arguments from him and strode back towards the team.

Batgirl followed close behind while Robin trailed by a few more feet. He still didn't like the mission that Batman was assigning.

Batman went to the computer and pulled up a street map of Gotham, as well as the files for all of the major criminals that plagued it's streets.

"Last week, Penguin, Two-Face, The Joker, Poison Ivy, Clay Face, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, and Firefly escaped from Arkham Asylum. Robin, Batgirl and I have managed to recapture Killer Croc and Firefly, but," He paused, looking over at the slightly confused faces of the team.

"I will be unable to operate in Gotham for the next week. Your mission will be to patrol the streets of Gotham, as well as track down these criminals. In addition to Batgirl, you will also be working with Agent A, who will not be in the field, but may be of assistance in tracking down these people, and will notify you of any police alerts."

They were slightly shocked. Batman had barred anyone who was not him from fighting crime in Gotham for years.

"If the police should activate the Bat-signal, only Robin or Batgirl may answer it. No one can know that you six are in Gotham. That may lead them to the conclusion that I am no longer there, and will cause infinite amounts of trouble in the streets." He looked at each of them in turn, then walked towards the Zeta-Tubes. "Good luck."

They stared after him for a long moment, then turned to each other.

M"gaan spoke up first. "Do we take the bio-ship, or are we using the Zeta-tubes?"

Robin shook his head as she started talking. "You don't want to leave it anywhere in the city. Even in camouflage mode, someone could find and damage it."

Connor frowned. "Wait, if we're talking with this Agent A, does that mean that we can't use telepathy?"

Robin hesitated. "We can use it to communicate, but either way, we're still going to be using our earpieces. And don't worry about someone hacking the frequency," he added, face darkening. "The league of shadows knows that it's not welcome in Gotham."

They were all confused by that statement, but chose not to pursue. Batgirl started walking towards the Zeta-Tubes, then looked over her shoulder. "You all coming?"

The caught up with her and, one by one, they stepped through to Gotham.

_

As soon as everyone was out of the phone booth, they discussed logistics. Robin explained that he and Batgirl usually patrolled from the roof tops, but that wouldn't work because the majority of their team couldn't fly. Finally, Aqualad came up with a solution.

"Why don't we split up into smaller groups that can travel separately. This city is so big that it would be the smart course of action in any case." He then studied them to figure out what the teams would be.

While his first instinct was to split up Robin and Batgirl so that their experience would be more spread out, he hesitated. They worked very well together and would be more effective together and could cover more ground.

There was also the problem that Batman did not want their presence known here. While they could manage to evade notice when all they had to do was go in, retrieve information, and get out, here they would have to be all around the city for an entire week, and despite over a year of training, they were nowhere near as stealthy as any of the Bats.

Coming to a decision, he split up his team. "Kid Flash and Artemis, you will be out first team. Superboy, you will go with Zatana, and I will be with Miss Martian."

Great, Zatana thought. He just had to leave those two together.

"Robin, you and Batgirl will take the roof tops. Miss Martian, will you be able to lift me as well as yourself?"

She frowned for a moment, then nodded. "I may be a bit more tired by the end of the night, but it should be okay."

Zatana spoke up. "I could probably fly myself, but not for very long, and definitely not with Superboy."

Aqualad nodded. "The rest of you, decide whether you will be on the roof tops or in the streets amongst yourselves. Move out," He said.

Robin and Batgirl immediately shot off their grappling guns and jumped onto the nearest rooftop. Within seconds, they were gone.

Kid Flash and Artemis went into stealth mode, then took off down the deserted streets, keeping to the shadows.

Superboy turned to Zatana. "I could carry you and jump up to the roof. The gaps between the building don't look too wide for you to jump, and the rest of them I could get you over."

She considered for a moment, then nodded. He wasted no time in picking her up and leaping to the roof opposite to the one the Bats had disappeared to.

Aqualad turned to Miss Martian, and she lifted them up.

_

Batgirl and Robin flew from rooftop to rooftop, searching for any sign of trouble. As they crossed over an alley, they saw four men closing in on a woman walking down the street. Piece of cake.

Batgirl dropped behind the first two, pressing into their shoulders until they passed out. Down without a sound. Unfortunately, the other two saw her and started shouting, waving their guns in the woman's face and threatening to shoot.

Robin narrowed his eyes at them, then dropped between the woman and the men with the guns. Before they could open their mouths, he kicked the guns out of their hands.

Scared out of their minds, the men turned and ran, only to run straight into Batgirl, who had finished tying up the other two.

She smiled, then punched the first guy in the face. When he doubled over, she kneed him in the stomach, and he dropped like a stone.

Robin just looked at the other guy, and he held up his hands. "I- I surrender! I surrender, okay!"

Batgirl tied the last one up, then lugged him over to the others. "Did you call the police?"

Robin nodded. "Yup. Agent A sent out the signal five minutes ago."

They turned to the woman. "Are you alright, Ma'am?"

She smiled shakily. "Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much."

"The police should arrive momentarily. You'll be safe now."

She nodded. They smiled at her, then took off for the rooftops.

_

Artemis ran across a rooftop, jumping and twirling to make the next ledge. Kid Flash ran alongside her down on the street level. They had decided to stay together, but cover more ground by being on different levels.

Artemis jumped over a T.V. antenna, almost tripping over it, but regaining her balance at the last minute. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she radioed Kid Flash. "Hold up a second. I need to stop for a sec."

He screeched to a stop, then scoured the skyline behind him looking for Artemis. Seeing her hunched over almost a half a block back, he raced over and leaned against the brick wall in the alley beside her. "No problem, Babe. So, you doing anything tomorrow night?"

Artemis paused for a moment to see if he was kidding. "You're kidding, right? You do know that we're going to be doing this for the rest of the week."

Wally froze for a moment. "Oh, right. Heh heh…"

Artemis rolled her eyes and moved to jump to the next roof. As she ran foreword, she skidded on the gravel and tipped over the edge. Arms flailing, she dropped.

Wally looked up at the sound of her terrified yelp. Eyes wide, he raced under her and caught her as she fell.

She took in a shaky breath. "Thanks for saving me, Bay watch."

Wally looked down at his girlfriend. "No worries. I'll always be there to catch you when you fall."

She smiled at them, and they stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before they realized that they were actually supposed to be on patrol.

Artemis cleared her throat and blushed. "Well, I, ahh… better get back to the roof."

Kid Flash grinned at her blush. "Sure thing, beautiful." He set her down, then watched as she climbed the fire escape back to the roof.

Smiling, Artemis pressed a hand to her ear. "Ready?"

And they took off again, running through the streets of Gotham.

_

Alfred sat in Master Bruce's chair in the Batcave, monitoring the young hero's currently patrolling Gotham. Their tracking beacons moved about the screen, occasionally pausing for a few minutes then continuing on.

He periodically sent anonymous calls to the police so they could come and pick up the thugs the Team had rounded up. Robin and Batgirl in particular kept him busy.

Master Bruce had been very worried about letting them come to Gotham. He had never been keen on the idea of other heroes protecting her streets. Now, with the recent breakout, it had been especially hard for him to come to this decision. So far, though, it seemed that his fears had been unfounded. Besides the occasional mugging or car jacking, it was quiet.

Looking over at the clock, he saw that it was almost three am. Time to call them back.

"This is Agent A, calling all agents. Time to return to the cave. I repeat, time to return to the cave."

After receiving affirmatives from all of them, he turned off the computer and prepared for Master Dick and Miss Gordon to return.

_

The team spilled through the Zeta-Tubes and back into Mount Justice. As the lights faded, they stumbled towards the kitchen, eager to have a place to sit down. Groaning, Wally sank onto the couch, pulling his goggles and mask off as he went. The others followed suit.

Artemis dropped her quiver, rubbing her neck in exhaustion. "That was awful."

The other's nodded, but Batgirl and Robin shrugged. "I guess."

Superboy raised an eyebrow. "What? Stopping almost fifty petty crimes across the city for half the night wasn't enough for you?"

Robin grinned cheekily. "Hey, any night we don't run into an Arkham regular is a slow night for us."

The others stared at him for a few moments. When they did nothing more but stare back, the Team looked away, attending to their multitude of small cuts, bruises, and already sore muscles.

Batgirl nodded. "Well, it was fun, but I better go get changed and head back to the Bat Cave. Agent A will be waiting up." She turned and headed towards the room that had been set up for her earlier that day. Robin followed after her, not keen on a repeat of what had happened last night when he had slept at the Cave.

When they came back five minutes later, the team was up and slowly moving about, getting water and talking about what they had each done that night.

They waved, then headed back to the Zeta-Tubes. As the computer's voice faded, and the duo disappeared, Wally turned to the others. "Do you guys think that he was joking? About it being a slow night, I mean."

Kaldur looked thoughtful. "I do not know. While he seemed cheerful in a way that would appear to be joking, he did not seem as… worn out as we are."

M'gaan nodded. "His emotions were very… calm. It seemed like this really was just another night for him."

Zatana cocked her head to the side. "I think this really was a slow night for him. I mean, think about it. The city didn't really seem panicked or anything, and the people we ran into were much more calm than you would have expected."

Mulling this over for a moment, they were quiet. Then Wally looked over at Artemis. "Hey, what do you think? Being an actual Gothamite."

Artemis slowly nodded. "I don't really live in the best part of the city. There's a lot of bad stuff that goes down everywhere, even with Batman hanging around. Dozens of people are robbed, attacked, murdered. So, yeah, I don't really think that he was joking. Though I didn't think that it would be this bad," She continued. "Even if I do live in Gotham, Batman still doesn't allow anyone who isn't him, Robin, or Batgirl to patrol the streets."

They slowly descended into silence, each with a uneasy feeling growing in their stomachs as they got an idea of just what their friend went through every night.

_

Alfred met the children in the batcave with a large pitcher of milk and his famous cookies. They smiled at him gratefully.

"Thanks, Alfred. These are delicious."

Alfred nodded kindly. He never minded waiting up with something sweet. After what they did each night, they deserved so much more. But for now, cookies would have to do.

"How was patrol tonight?"

Dick shrugged. "Same old same old. Kind've a slow night, actually."

Barbra nodded. "Yeah. Although, the others are really gonna feel this in the morning, if they don't already."

The butler nodded, slightly sad at his statement. It was not a good thing that so many crimes and fights would be considered a, 'slow night'. He had never been keen on the idea of a child doing what Master Bruce did, but Master Dick had insisted. He saw what Bruce had, that learning what justice really was and where to draw the line would help him not become as cold as the Batman; but a day was coming that would counteract all of that good effect. You couldn't fight men like the Joker and expect to retain your innocence.

Barbra stayed down there with her friends for a few minutes, then slowly brushed the crumbs off her shirt. "I should get going. My Dad gets home in about thirty minutes, and it would be really bad if he caught me sneaking in now of all times."

Dick got up with her, hugging her and promising to see her tomorrow. She smiled and then ascended the steps into the manor.

For the first few months of her vigilante career, Barbra had been sore to the point that it was physically impossible to get out of bed in the morning. But now, after almost three years, she had barely broken a sweat tonight. It was interesting how she had developed physically due to her training with the Batman.

As she neared the front door, Barbra heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Alfred approaching, keys in hand. "Allow me to escort home, Miss Gordon."

She hesitated for a moment, then smiled at him. "Thank you, Alfred. I think I'll take you up on that tonight."

The older man smiled. He knew that the girl was uncomfortable with the concept of people waiting on her, and that was why she almost always turned him down. But he always felt that she shouldn't have to traverse the city alone, especially at this time of night.

The ride home was quiet, but not the awkward kind. There was something calming about Alfred's presence that put everyone who met him at ease. At least, until you tracked mud in the foyer. Then not even the Batman could save you.

They pulled up next to her apartment building five minuets before her dad was supposed to get in. But, knowing him, he probably wouldn't make it home for another few hours yet.

"Thank you, Alfred." She waved at him as she exited the back of the car.

"Of course, Miss Gordon."

Alfred waited until she waved down at him from her apartment window before driving off. She smiled and shook her head at his worrying. Even though they all went out every night and beat the crap out of the worst this city had to offer, the man still fretted over each and every one of them. It was sweet, really.

Sighing, she closed the blinds then got ready for bed. Barbra wanted to wait for her dad to come home, but if he found her up at four in the morning, she'd never year the end of it.


End file.
